First Impressions: The Beautyblender

You know the Innovation Adoption Curve? When it comes to the Beautyblender, the Innovation Adoption Curve will categorise me under the "Laggards" section. I'm not exaggerating when I say almost all of the beauty Youtubers I watch love the beautyblender. So many "Get Ready With Me" videos and makeup tutorials featured this jarring pink water-drop shaped sponge. I have been intrigued for a long, long time, but the price tag deterred me from checking out my shopping cart. 

I got mine in a set that included the mini Solid Cleanser. The set costs S$37 on sephora.sg (luxola has officially become sephora.sg, how exciting!!). The beautyblender itself retails for S$30. 

From the beautyblender website:

The world’s first edgeless, non-disposable, high-definition cosmetic sponge applicator. The unique shape and exclusive material available only with beautyblender® ensures impeccable, streak-free application with minimum product waste. Use it with primers, foundations, powders, cream blushes, and any other complexion product.

beautyblender® features an open cell structure that fills with small amounts of water when wet. This allows the sponge to be “full” so that the makeup product sits on top of the sponge rather than being absorbed, allowing you to use less product every time. When wet, beautyblender® doubles in size and becomes even softer, returning to its original size when it air dries.

So... is it as amazing as what most users say?

I'm not incredibly awed, but I don't hate it. Maybe I need more trials using different complexion products.

I used it for first time this morning, and I'm not that impressed with how it blended out my concealer. I now have a habit of applying only concealer, then topping it off with loose powder. No more liquid foundation for everyday wear. I dotted the areas that needed coverage with my concealer, and then used the beautyblender (after soaking it in water and squeezing out excess water) to blend out the concealer. For areas with hyperpigmentation left by acne, the beautyblender seemed to be absorbing the concealer more than blending it out. I had to use 2 layers of concealer to get a decent coverage. If I used my fingers, one layer is more than enough.

Of course, the beautyblender is not without merit. It blended out concealer beautifully under my eyes very quickly. It also blended out my concealer with zero streaks, which was quite tough to achieve when using fingers or brushes. I'll give this another try tomorrow with liquid foundation, then concealer. Hopefully, I'll like it more! I want to, because it's S$30 for a tiny sponge man! I better LOVE it.

I'll update this page again with the outcome of my second trial and sponge cleaning process! :)

Update on 13 February 2016:

• Okay, I finally get the hype. I tried the beautyblender with all my favourite foundations and bb creams and they were all applied and blended out beautifully. So freaking fast too! Boing, boing, boing, boing and one cheek done! It's not great for concealing acne though. This will be the perfect foundation application tool if you have generally smooth and bump-free skin (which I'm slowly but surely achieving with accutane, oh yeah!). 
• The beautyblender solid cleanser worked effectively as well. It definitely removed makeup thoroughly from the beautyblender and it's so easy and fast to clean. Extremely helpful for a lazy person like me - don't need to worry about using unhygienic tools on my face again! :D 
• Overall, I'm a convert. Now I know why this tiny pink sponge is so expensive. 

BLOGMAS Day 10 Luxola Haul - Great products for oily, troubled skin!

Mario Badescu Special Mask for Oily Skin
Rachel K Cosmetics Midnight Miracle

Three weeks ago, I bought two skincare products from Luxola because they had a mega sale. After using them for three weeks, I think they work effectively on my oily and acne-prone skin.

I'm most amazed by how well the Rachel K Cosmetics Midnight Miracle performed. This product is specially formulated for oily and irritated skin, and it promises to detoxify and soothe the skin to even out the skin tone and regenerate the skin cells. Daily use will help to decrease shine and the redness in your skin. For me, I use this once every two days. The formulation is too rich to be used daily. Initially when I used it daily the first three days, all was good, but after that small spots started appearing around my nose and upper lip area. I quickly switched to a once-every-two-days routine, and the small spots slowly disappeared. The best part about this product is that the term "Midnight Miracle" in the product name is not loosely used - it really is a midnight miracle! I have a lot of redness around my nose and jawline (because of all my acne scars and all that fun stuff), but just after ONE NIGHT, the redness was visibly reduced in the morning. I was definitely not expecting this, so that was a great pleasant surprise! Moreover, this product is only S$29! I love this and it's now a staple in my skincare routine.

The Mario Badescu Special Mask for Oily Skin is not as amazing though. It definitely does what it claims to do, but it's quite harsh on the skin. This product is most ideal for excessively oily and congested skin. It claims to control surface oil and in the long run, prevents pimples and blackheads. I use this twice a week and only my super oily T-Zone areas. For those with dry to combination skin, I suggest you stay away from this product because it is extremely drying. It's okay for me though because I definitely skin that's way too oily. The only discomfort that I felt during every session was that whenever the mask had dried up and I accidentally smiled/laughed, the mask would crack and I would start to feel tingly, pierce-y (is that even a word??) sensations. It's like telling me - hey, I have completely dried up, so RINSE ME AWAY!!

Overall, I do think that there was an improvement in the oiliness state of my skin, however there's still a huge room for more improvement. Skincare products cannot fully eliminate the crazy oiliness on my skin - I'm quite sure what I consume and my hormones contribute to this too. Can't wait for the day when I don't need to blot my skin 3-4 hours from the last cleansing.

Review: Zoeva Matte Eyeshadow Fix

I have extremely oily skin, and the oiliness is quite rampant on the T-zone area, the cheeks and the eyelids. Basically the only not-so-oily parts are my temples and jawline. What a nightmare. 

Having lived with overactive sebum glands for more than 5 years now, I have come to accept the fact that my foundation and concealer will never stay matte for more than 3 hours. Blotting and touching up has become a habit and so I'm not very concerned with my oily T-zone and cheeks. Actually, come to think of it, I used to have combination skin with manageable sebum production. But once I hit my twenties, my hormones went lunatic. Boohoo, what to do but suck it up? 

However, there's one thing I absolutely hate about my oily skin and that's my extremely oily eyelids. Blotting and touching up foundation is easy peasy, but the case is doubly hard when it comes to creasing eyeshadow on very oily lids. I abhor oily eyelids with a vengeance. This is why I'm always on the lookout for amazing eyeshadow primers that can minimise the oily mess. So far, the Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion and the Lorac Behind The Scenes Eye Primer have been excellent and truly gifts sent from above for those with oily lids. However, they are not very cheap, and I finally have found a perfect dupe for the Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion. It's only S$11 from Luxola! Cheap leh, very cheap!! 

The Zoeva Matte Eyeshadow Fix retails for S$11 for a 7.5ml tube, while the Urban Decay one retails for S$33 for a 11ml tube. Lazy to do math now, but yes the Zoeva one is definitely more bang for the buck, especially when it's as good as the Urban Decay's. 

Paraben-free and fragrance-free! Excellent for those with sensitive eyelids.

Ingredients list

Packaging: The Zoeva Matte Eyeshadow Fix has an economical packaging. It's packaged in a squeeze tube with a long and precise needle tip. You can dispense the exact amount of product that you want every single time and you can finish up the entire 7.5ml easily. Some primers have very stupid packaging where a doe-foot applicator is pumped in to get some product out. You will never use the entire tube this way! So this packaging is great. Also, it's entirely semi-matte black with grey lettering. Looks fancy but quite inexpensive.



Texture and application: The Zoeva Matte Eyeshadow Fix has a semi-thick consistency that's extremely silky to the touch. It blends and spreads very easily and evenly. Once applied, you don't notice any product on your eyelids because it blends well with your natural eyelid colour. Application is easy-peasy and fast because of how blendable the product is. A little of this goes a long way. I especially love the product description on Luxola - "It’s concentrated: the size of a raindrop from the needle nose squeeze-tube covers the entire lid." Definitely agree with that!

Effectiveness: I truly believe that this is one of the best performing eye primers in the market, especially if you have oily eyelids. The Zoeva Matte Eyeshadow Fix does help to make eyeshadows a little bit more vibrant than if applied on naked eyelids, but there are other primers that do a much better job at this component. However, in terms of keeping oily eyelids matte, the Zoeva Matte Eyeshadow Fix is quite competent and impressive. For those looking for an eye primer to make your eyeshadows pop more, I wouldn't suggest this one, but the Lorac one is great at that! 

Longevity: My eyeshadow stayed in place - no creasing, no smudging - for more than 10 hours. How freaking insane is that?! 'Nuff said. 

Will I buy it again? YES!! But it's out of stock now, NOOOOOOOO!! I shall add myself to the waitlist. BAH... 

Have a good Saturday guys! Such a glorious day with nice rainy weather. :D 

Review: Dr. Wu Acnecur Mattify Blemish Balm Cream

In my honest opinion, the current BB cream scene is lacking, especially in the acne-prone skin department. We have countless BB creams for brightening, for hydrating, for anti-ageing, but very few for those with acne problems. It doesn't really make sense because there are a lot of potential users who have acne-prone skin and are looking for a suitable BB cream because they are looking for something less potent than a liquid foundation. It's a huge market!

I was, of course, extremely excited when I found out about the Dr. Wu Acnecur Mattify Blemish Balm Cream. It's available on luxola and also on sale in certain Watsons stores. It's not affordable though. The Dr. Wu Acnecur Mattify BB Cream retails for S$46 on Luxola and that's certainly not cheap for a BB cream. I bought mine when Luxola had their pop-up 30%-off promotion. 

Ingredients list

The Dr. Wu Acnecur Mattify BB Cream is marketed to be:

• light and feather-weight
• useful for anti-acne, oil-control, soothing, hydrating, whitening and UV protection
• able to conceal imperfections without pore inflammation
• able to reduce redness
• able to provide a matte, yet hydrated finish

So, am I a satisfied user of this BB Cream? 

To be frank, I used to hate it, but now I don't hate it so much. The main reason being I used this BB Cream when I had my crazy breakouts and also after I went for anti-acne facials. The BB Cream worked differently for the two periods and hence I'll be reviewing this BB Cream using these two periods. 

Packaging: The pale green packaging looks clinical and I think a clinical outlook is good for a product that aims to tackle acne problem. The dispenser was also sealed so that's excellent on the hygiene front.

Consistency: I don't understand why this was marketed as a light and feather-weight BB Cream because when I used it, I had difficulty blending it out because it was so thick. Maybe the company was describing the light-weight feeling after the BB Cream has been blended out? When I used this BB Cream, I couldn't dot the product all around my face and then blend it out because once the right side was blended, the left side and forehead would be really thick and it took extra effort to blend out the other areas. Dried way too fast! I had to dot the product on one area first, then blend, then dot another area, then blend.

Coverage and pigmentation:
During breakout - I will not suggest those with a lot of acne to use this BB Cream because it will accentuate the problematic areas. I had many ripened pimples the first few times I used it and the pimples looked way more obvious even after I applied my trusted loose powder. It will definitely cover areas with slight redness, but the coverage will not be enough for painful, pus-filled pimples. I didn't like the consistency and how it made my pimples look more pronounced so I stopped using it.

After facials - After 3 sessions of facials, I was left with acne scarring and so I decided to give the Dr. Wu Acnecur Mattify BB Cream another try. The consistency is not something that will change because I went for facials so I have no change in opinion for that part. However, the application process became more pleasant. My acne scars were adequately concealed and sometimes a concealer was not needed anymore. Just a quick touch of loose powder and my face makeup was done. Hence, I have come to a conclusion that this BB Cream will be a better fit for users who have oily-skin and acne scars, and want to prevent future acne breakouts, and have no painful ripened pimples on the skin.

One more thing regarding the pigmentation, the Dr. Wu Acnecur Mattify BB Cream has quite a greyish tinge when blended out. It's quite strange. My skin has warm undertones and whenever I use this BB Cream, my skintone will alter to one that has way too much cool undertones. This is the reason why I cannot just go out with this BB Cream on my face; I must top it off with my powder/loose powder that will bring back some warmth to my face. Those with cool undertones, you will face no such problems.

Longevity: The longevity of the Dr. Wu Acnecur Mattify BB Cream is the same for me no matter what my skin condition is. Initially, it will produce a nice matte effect. But then, it gets oily after 4-5 hours, which is quite disappointing for a mattifying BB cream. But of course, please take into consideration my extremely oily skin.

The great thing about this product is it did not cause a bad reaction to my skin. I always try new face cosmetics with great caution because of how acne-prone my face is. So, the fact that this didn't cause breakouts already made me a happy camper.

Will I buy it again? I don't think so. It is a decent product if you want to conceal acne scars. But, the consistency puts me off the product. I'm sure the BB Cream industry will expand soon to include more acne-prone-skin-friendly products.

Hope this has been useful! Have a great day ahead guys! :)

Phil Smith Big It Up! Thickening Volume Cream - MY HAIR HERO

When I was younger (before I turned 21), I had no hair issue. My friends always told me that I had a lot of hair on my head and I wouldn't have to worry about hairfall or hair thinning because I simply had too much hair! So... I didn't really take much care of my hair. I dyed my hair like crazy, even went as far as to DIY bleaching my hair. It was a terrible decision. I had blonde hair for a while and I felt like I was cool but oh gawd now looking back, I looked like a siao nang (or crazy person in Hokkien). Ever since then, my hair condition started to deteriorate. I didn't have major hairfall, but I was definitely experiencing it.

Currently, to some people, I still have a lot of hair on my head, but personally, it's not the same anymore. My hair now is limp and flat and there's barely any volume at all! Short hair with no volume is a nemesis for my huge face. It emphasises the large surface area of my face (sob) and I look super chubby on photos. That's why I was on a mission to get the volume back! Short hair with moderate volume can give the illusion of slimmer face and hello who doesn't want slimmer face? 

I was randomly browsing Luxola one night and chanced upon a 30% midnight sale. THAT'S IT! I have to get my hair products! So, I carted out the Phil Smith Big It Up! Thickening Volume Cream and the Vidal Sassoon Magic Style Activator Treatment for 30% less. YAY! 

The Phil Smith Big It Up! Thickening Volume Cream retails for S$26 for 100ml and the Vidal Sassoon Magic Style Activator Treatment retails for S$5.90 for the 30ml bottle, and S$12.90 for the 100ml bottle. 

These 2 products are my hair heroes. Why have I not known about them beforehand?!?!?! I have used them daily ever since I got them and the difference is noticeable and I feel immensely happy with the products. LOVE!! 

The Phil Smith Big It Up! Thickening Volume Cream is specially formulated for short to medium-length hairstyles. This is really amazing if you have short hair and you love the bob with the inner curl at the hair ends. The volume that I get after application and blow-drying is manageable and long lasting. You will not get va va voom volume, but there is a marked improvement from limp and flat hair. I stepped out of the house at 8am with nice hair and came home at 8pm with nice hair. Amazing longevity! 

You only need a little product if you have short hair. Remember that you have to use it on towel-dried hair and not dry hair! 

The word "thickening" may intimidate some people, but to be honest, once you run your hands through your hair, you don't feel like you have anything applied. After that you can blow-dry your hair and see the transformation!!! I actually use a round-barrel brush while blow-drying so yes to maximum root lift! 

If you blow-dry your hair frequently, then I suggest that you get a heat protection product for your hair as well. I blow-dry my hair almost every day so I definitely need one. The Vidal Sassoon Magic Style Activator Treatment works amazingly and it's obvious that the product works because when I'm blow-drying and combing through my hair, there are no knots or tangling. My hair was super smooth and actually it helps in making the blow-drying process faster because I no longer need to get rid of tangles and knots using a separate comb. 

After I apply Phil Smith Big It Up! Thickening Volume Cream, I will carry on with my makeup routine, and then once I'm done, I will apply the Vidal Sassoon Magic Style Activator Treatment, with the majority of product being applied on the hair ends. Then I will blow-dry my hair normally. Works like magic!

After almost one week of trying out, I really fell deeply in love with both products. The difference is obvious and I feel more confident about my hair now. Just amazing!

Anyway, if you have any volumising/thickening hair products that you love, please tell me all about them! I'm now a complete believer of having more voluminous hair.

Have a great day guys! Enjoy your Friday! :) 

Review: Sleek Makeup Blush By 3 in Lace (Thank you Luxola SG!)

It has been long since I updated this space. I'm so sorry to all my readers! I have so many things due this week and I have been procrastinating (like always) and so everything just piled up. =_= Lesson for all university students - never procrastinate, or just try not to procrastinate so much. 

ANYWAYYY, I bought myself some Sleek goodies from Luxola.com! 

The Sleek Makeup blushes have been raved again and again by beauty bloggers everywhere and so of course I was intrigued! I purchased one last year, but it shattered to pieces and I'm now too heartbroken to use it because every single time I open it, more blush powder will be wasted. :( I know I should fix it soon, but as you have already noticed, I'm a procrastinator. So yes, I'd rather get a new Sleek blush. :S

First of all, before we go into the review of the Sleek Makeup Blush By 3 in Lace proper, I would like to comment on Luxola.com as a whole. My shopping experience with them was thoroughly enjoyable and a breeze. Even shipping was quick and my purchase was hand-delivered to me within 3 days for free! Amazing amazing experience! So thank you Luxola.com!!

So yes, I bought the Sleek Makeup Blush By 3 in Lace for only S$17! Currently there's a promotion going on for various credit card holders. More details at the end of this post! :) 

Packaging: Sleek Makeup has sleep packaging. Such an expected description and I'm not ashamed of it because it is really sleek! No busy and colourful designs, just a simple black, semi-matte packaging with the brand logo emblazoned on it. The packaging just makes the brand looks more expensive than it really is!

Pardon the eeky hair on the carpet. YIKES! 

The three colours included in this blush palette are:

1. Crochet - a bright orange with minimal shimmer. I think the formulation is quite matte. 
2. Guipure - a gorgeous pinkish-red with ultra-fine gold shimmers. 
3. Chantilly - a bright coral red with minimal shimmer. 

I'm such a predictable person. From the way I describe the colours, it's obvious that my favourite shade is Guipure. :D

Swatches taken with camera flash

Pigmentation: Ohmygosh, let's talk about how pigmented these babies are. They are so pigmented, you need a light hand to avoid looking like a clown. I prefer to see it as a positive thing because it means you are definitely getting your money's worth! The intense pigmentation can prove to be a challenge for those just starting out with makeup but hey, you learn from your mistakes! All three colours are beyond beautiful but Guipure does it for me. The ultra-fine golden shimmer is so breathtaking. It's one of those shade whereby under sunlight it looks like a normal blush shade, but with flash photography, you look like a bronzed and blushed goddess. AMAZING! <3 a="" always="" and="" brush.="" brush="" build="" can="" colour="" do="" easier="" ensure="" excess="" hand="" have="" i="" is="" it="" light="" ll="" minimal="" much="" my="" nbsp="" off="" on="" once="" or="" p="" product="" remember="" remove="" s="" swirl="" tap="" that="" the="" then="" these="" this="" to="" too="" twice.="" twice="" up="" use="" way="" what="" when="" with="" you="">

The amazing Guipure. 

Blush formula: The Sleek Makeup Blush By 3 in Lace has a powder formulation that can rival high-end brands. I'm dead serious. It's not powdery at all and it applies beautifully with a cheap or an expensive brush. After the blush is applied on the cheeks, it does not look like you have powder blush on, instead it looks more like it has a velvety texture, which is odd, but a very much welcomed odd. 

Longevity: The blush stayed on my cheeks for an entire day, like an entire 13-hour day. The colour did not fade at all, which is mind-boggling to me because I have more expensive alternatives to this set, but they don't last as long! Great job, Sleek Makeup! 

Will I buy it again? I will not buy Sleek Makeup Blush By 3 in Lace again, but I will buy it in other colours!!! My mind is telling me that I should collect these blushes because of how good the quality is! 

And yes, here's the information to the current credit card promotion that Luxola.com is having! My Sleek Makeup Blush By 3 in Lace was initially S$20, but I got S$3 off because of the promotion, so yay! :) 

Thanks for reading and I hope you have an amazing shopping experience with Luxola.com too (and no, I'm not sponsored or anything, I'm just impressed by them and hence I must share the love).

Have a good week everyone! :) 

What's up what's up WHAT'S UP!! Food hunt, OOTDs, recent hauls and MOREEE

I don't feel good not updating my blog. It's like I'm forcefully separated from my love. Not even exaggerating. Every single day I think about what I should blog about, and then feel extremely saddened that I did not execute the ideas!! 

So here I am updating my blog before my FYP is due. Actually, I have edited my part and we are only meeting for an intense session tomorrow, so I am quite free now. So yay, an opportunity to blog! :) 

This is just a what-have-I-done-these-past-few-weeks post. Beauty reviews will be in soon! I need to edit my photos first! :) I have 5 upcoming beauty reviews, SO THAT'S DANDY WOOHOO. 

I ran my fastest 5.04km a couple of weeks back. Yay to that! I haven't been running outside for a while now because I always reach home so late, but I hope my gym sessions are keeping me on track! Can't wait to run outside again and break my own record! 

I ordered from Luxola.sg and it was an amazing experience. I'm dedicating an entire blogpost to my Sleek purchase and Luxola.sg. COMING SOON! :)

Recent OOTDs. Here's one featuring my new sweater from taobao. It's relatively cheaper than what you get in Bugis. It's almost always $20 and up for this floral sweater, but I got it for $14 (including shipping from China), so that's a 30% saving! I have so many things on my 65daigou cart right now, and most of them are shoes. Not going to check out anytime soon because I self-declared a shopping ban. HAHAHAHA.

Sweater: taobao
Denim top: Bugis
Shorts: Forever 21
Socks: Qoo10
Shoes: Doc Marts
Bag: Adidas

Trying to recycle my old clothes now because I realised I wore them once or twice only. Yikes.

Tank: H&M
Blazer: Qoo10
Shorts: DIY
Shoes: Forever 21
Bag: Bangkok

Another great purchase from Qoo10. I highly recommend the Holika Holika Aqua Petit Jelly BB Cream and I got it for S$10 only!! Blogpost on this COMING SOON too!! :) 

I can't get over this beyond heavenly tomato soup from Manhattan Fish Market. When kengyang said that it was too creamy for his liking, I eyed his soup like a hawk. But in the end he finished his, so I was disappointed HAHA.

The seafood platter was not so great though. Dry rice, weird-tasting fries and fishy oysters. Blergh.

OH-OH! My new nail colour from SASA (RM3.90 only!!!) is amazeballs. The consistency is definitely MUCH BETTER than China Glaze's and personally I think it's on par with Essie and OPI in terms of brush design, consistency and longevity. LOVE IT.

Haha, this blogpost is like an over-excited kid who is distracted by almost everything. I'm hopping from topic to topic with no warning whatsoever. Heehee. Must be the coffee.

Kengyang and I visited dora and aaron during Smart Kids Asia exhibition at Expo! Quick gathering, but I hope I made their days! :)

Typical dora pose. LOL. The guys cannot make it.

My stencil for printmaking class. Since I s/u-ed the bloody module already, I have decided to not put so much thought into what I'm creating. So long as I'm satisfied and I enjoy the process, I'm good. No need to get A what, pass can already! 

Ah, Din Tai Fung dinner with Jeremy and Kokky was much needed. It was a good meal and I'm still dreaming about the amazing cucumber side-dish.

I made this salmon dish myself! Hooray to my brain! I practically had NOTHING in my fridge, so I conjured some rub and it came out quite yummy yummy!

Ending this post with my most sinful dinner/supper for this week. Thosai and BUTTER CHICKEN. I could lick the butter chicken bowl if I could, but I didn't. TOO GOOD. 

Now, off to editing photos and preparing my many many upcoming posts!

Have a great Sunday everyone, and for those finalizing their FYPs, PRESS ON, 3 MORE DAYS AND CAN SENANG ALREADY! :D